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From the Editor, Issue #2 - June 2021

Time to Roll Up Your Sleeves

After the excitement of Outlining, that first glimmer of the idea that’s going to be the most amazing story ever, we come to First Drafts. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work.

One of the hardest parts of writing a novel is finding time to write. Time is our most precious commodity and there are so many demands on it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel “I just don’t have time for writing; it doesn’t fit in my life now.” This is doubly true for newer authors, when you don’t have an established fan base waiting for your book. You may get the sense that there’s no point, that you’re just wasting time.
In this issue, we’ll help you get through that first draft, by finding ways to find time. Start small to build daily habits that will set the foundation for a long term career.

Make the most of those breaks that you have, that you may not even recognize as possible writing time. Discover the joy of dictation—once you get past the awkwardness, it can be a great way to squeeze more time out of your day, and more words out of your time. We also look at collaboration as a path to achieving more through working with others.

Wherever you are in your manuscript, and in your writing journey, I hope you find some thoughts to inspire you within these pages.

Happy reading and happy writing,

Erika Everest
Managing Editor
Indie Author Magazine

2021June7

Erika Everest

Over fifteen years in the corporate sector, managing international projects and teams, gives Erika Everest a strong foundation for managing the globally-dispersed editorial team working at Indie Author Magazine. She has co-curated eight anthologies in the past three years, and works with authors for proofreading, beta reading, editing, formatting, and newsletter set up and maintenance. With a PhD in Biostatistics and a postgraduate qualification in International Business Management, Erika values strategic and analytical thinking. She also values unicorns, tiaras, and happily ever afters. She has published three novels in a series of fairytale retellings, and likes to procrastinate by writing nonfiction books to help authors.

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